By comparison, the debt was at $223 million on Dec. 31, 2011, Dashield said.

Divided up between the municipal government and Montclair School District, Dashield said that the school district accounts for $87.6 million of Montclair's debt, compared to $72.7 million for the municipal government.

Those debt figures were $92.8 million and $80.9 million, respectively, at the end of 2012, according to Dashield.

As part of its plan to keep cutting into the debt, Montclair has established a debt plan to cap its additional accrued debt at $3.6 million in 2013 and $3.5 million in 2014, according to Dashield. As Montclair only borrowed $300,000 in 2013, Dashield said that the remainder can be carried over to 2014.

Even with additional debt accrued in 2014, Montclair anticipates paying down $10.7 million in prior debt by year's end, Mayor Robert Jackson anticipated that Montclair's debt would sit at $194 million by year's end.

Included in the $4.6 million in bonds, or borrowed money, introduced by ordinance on Tuesday, $2,245,127 will go toward a $2,363,292 project to repair roadways, including Upper Mountain Avenue, Highland Avenue, and Lincoln Street, among others.

A separate $1,058,487 bond ordinance was introduced to help fund a $1,114,197 project for repairs to Park and Union streets.

Jackson described the ordinances as the "most serious investment in roads" Montclair has seen in years.

An additional $897,000 bond was introduced to help fund the $945,000 needed to purchase new police radio equipment and transition to the state-run system.

A $403,750 bond ordinance was introduced for $425,000 in park maintenance, including improvements to the Mountainside Park tennis courts and the Edgemont Shelter House roof.

Water on the ice

With Clary Anderson Arena's roof leaking onto the ice below, Montclair is examining short- and medium-term fixes to sustain the arena for what would be a million-dollar roof project.

In updating the Township Council on the arena, which is used by both the Montclair High School and Montclair Kimberley Academy hockey teams along with youth teams and ice skaters, Dashield said that tarps have been installed to keep leaks away from the ice. In the medium term, Dashield said, a $30,000 rubber membrane placed atop the roof would hold the arena over for several years.

The township was prepared to address the arena's roof in 2012, Dashield said, before discovering that it was structurally unsound and needed additional work. The project is estimated at $1.1 million, according to Dashield. The arena is valued at $3.3 million.

Long term, Dashield said that a committee would be formed to come up with an improvement plan for the arena.

During public comment, resident Bo Foley said that a Jan. 11 charity game between Montclair High School and West Essex High School had to be cancelled due to leaks from the roof. Water dripping onto the ice creates holes in the ice and, when accumulated, bumps, according to Foley.